pulse Report This Comment Date: January 19, 2010 04:50AM
A woman was trapped in her car several metres above the ground for more than an
hour today after smashing through the brick wall of an office block in Sydney's
west.
The woman, aged in her 60s, has told police she was leaving the level-one car
park of an office block on George Street, Parramatta, when she lost control of
her white Toyota Corolla and hit the building's brick wall about 11am.
The wall gave way, and her car was lodged halfway out of it with its bonnet
touching the roof of an empty demountable classroom at Arthur Phillip High
School, police said.
Rescuers could not get the woman out without stabilising the car first.
A NSW Fire Brigades spokesman said a crew worked for about an hour with a ladder
truck before cutting out the back seat and pulling the woman through the boot
just after midday.
She was taken to Westmead Hospital with minor injuries. An Ambulance NSW
spokeswoman said she was "very shaken" but otherwise in good
health.
A person who works in the building attached to the car park felt the crash.
"We are on level [three] and felt the building shake and saw lots of
bricks, dust and smoke fall from the building under us," the person
said.
The NSW Fire Brigades spokesman said the car was badly damaged but no school
property was damaged. No one else was hurt.
Police said WorkCover would be notified and a structural engineer would be
called in to examine the building.